Ego Panthera

Every single time I order an Arab clone, I swear to myself that it would be the last one. I'm disappointed almost every time. But then I forget and I start to think "well, maybe this one will be an exception, maybe this one will be worth it" and then I pull the trigger. Alas, this one is no different than the myriad of armafs, rasasis, afnans and lattafas that are getting hyped with no sensible reason whatsoever. Now to the smell of this olfactory wonder. I emphasize that this is only my first impression, yet my feelings are quite strong. Sooooo.... This smells like a faulty batch of Afnan Supremacy NOI (or In Oud)had sex with the cheapest Baccarat Rouge clone and their abominable child was mixed with overburnt sugar and tar (this is the so called "saffron" I suppose). In the beginning this magical fairytale is hidden beneath a strong, yet very synthetic citrus note, which may deceive your senses that the opening is somewhat bearable. Unfortunately, this confusing stage of the fragrance's development fades away in less then an hour and the wearer of this flamboyant concoction is left with the ugly truth of its synthetic, cheap and banal, yet piercing drydown. Leather? Don't make me laugh! Aromatics? Where are they? Cardamom, olibanum, amber? I smell no traces of these noble ingredients. The comparison with African Leather is not just laughable, it's INEXISTENT. I watched reviews comparing this one with Aventus Absolute. I have no experience with Creed's latest marketing hit, but if it smells remotely close to this, my faith in perfumery will be seriously shaken. Of course, I don't expect wonders when it comes to Armaf, but they have done way more with way less. Niche Oud for example is a good little fragrance that doesn't scream "I want mooooooneeeeyyyy". To see Armaf engaging in an endless spawn of low quality frags in an oversaturated market, frags that no one asked for, or needed, really makes me sad. Just sit back. Relax. Take a breather. Do something good. I know you can do it, Armaf.